recalcitrant

recalcitrant
\ \ [19] People who are recalcitrant are etymologically ‘kicking back’ against whatever restrains or upsets them. The word was borrowed from French récalcitrant, a descendant of the present participle of Latin recalcitrārekick back’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix re- ‘back, again’ and calcitrārekick’, which in turn was derived from Latin calxheel’.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • récalcitrant — récalcitrant, ante [ rekalsitrɑ̃, ɑ̃t ] adj. et n. • 1696; h. 1551; de recalcitrer « résister avec opiniâtreté » (1120); lat. recalcitrare « ruer », de calx, calcis « talon » 1 ♦ Qui résiste avec opiniâtreté, entêtement. Cheval, mulet… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • recalcitrant — RECALCITRÁNT, Ă, recalcitranţi, te, adj. Care se opune, care nu se lasă convins; încăpăţânat, îndărătnic, nesupus. – Din fr. récalcitrant. Trimis de claudia, 08.07.2004. Sursa: DEX 98  RECALCITRÁNT adj. 1. v. încăpăţânat. 2. v. indisciplinat.… …   Dicționar Român

  • récalcitrant — récalcitrant, ante (ré kal si tran, tran t ) adj. Qui résiste avec humeur, opiniâtreté. •   Puisque aujourd hui votre humeur pétulante Vous rend l âme aux leçons un peu récalcitrante, REGNARD le Joueur, I, 10. •   Sitôt qu il [un malade du… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • recalcitrant — I adjective balky, callous, contrary, contumacious, defiant, disobedient, fractious, hardened, headstrong, immovable, insubordinate, intractable, mulish, mutinous, noncooperative, obstinate, obstreperous, opposing, oppugnant, pervicacious,… …   Law dictionary

  • recalcitrant — (adj.) 1823, from Fr. récalcitrant, lit. kicking back (17c. 18c.), pp. of recalcitrare to kick back, from re back (see RE (Cf. re )) + L. calcitrare to kick, from calx (gen. calcis) heel. Used from 1797 as a French word in English. Verb… …   Etymology dictionary

  • recalcitrant — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ obstinately uncooperative. ► NOUN ▪ a recalcitrant person. DERIVATIVES recalcitrance noun recalcitrantly adverb. ORIGIN from Latin recalcitrare kick out with the heels …   English terms dictionary

  • recalcitrant — [ri kal′si trənt] adj. [L recalcitrans, prp. of recalcitrare, to kick back (in LL, to disobey) < re , back + calcitrare, to kick < calx, heel: see CALCAR] 1. refusing to obey authority, custom, regulation, etc.; stubbornly defiant 2. hard… …   English World dictionary

  • Recalcitrant — Re*cal ci*trant (r[ e]*k[a^]l s[i^]*trant), a. [L. recalcitrans, p. pr. of recalcitrare to kick back; pref. re re + calcitrare to kick, fr. calx heel. Cf. {Inculcate}.] Kicking back; recalcitrating; hence, showing repugnance or opposition;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • recalcitrant — refractory, intractable, headstrong, willful, *unruly, ungovernable Analogous words: rebellious, *insubordinate, factious, contumacious: *obstinate, stubborn: resisting, opposing, withstanding (see RESIST) Antonyms: amenable (sense 2) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • recalcitrant — [adj] disobedient, uncontrollable contrary, contumacious, defiant, fractious, indomitable, insubmissive, insubordinate, intractable, obstinate, opposing, radical, rebellious, refractory, resistant, resisting, stubborn, undisciplinable,… …   New thesaurus

  • recalcitrant — adjective Etymology: Late Latin recalcitrant , recalcitrans, present participle of recalcitrare to be stubbornly disobedient, from Latin, to kick back, from re + calcitrare to kick, from calc , calx heel Date: 1843 1. obstinately defiant of… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”